Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • New Evidence Confirms Production Location, Offers Potential First Clues about One of Marvel’s First Phase 7 Films

    New Evidence Confirms Production Location, Offers Potential First Clues about One of Marvel’s First Phase 7 Films

    Just a couple of weeks ago, Marvel Studios released its most recent Phase 7 slate. Kevin Feige and the Parliament paired the number of films in 2028 from four to three, in addition to revealing what is certainly nothing more than the first draft of its slim 2029 slate. All told, the current configuration of Phase 7 consists of five films, spanning from May 2028 through July 2029.

    • Untitled Marvel Studios May 5, 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios July 28, 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios December 15, 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios May 4, 2029
    • Untitled Marvel Studios July 13, 2029

    Now, as the studio prepares to begin production on the Multiverse Saga finale, Avengers: Secret Wars, a pairing of publicly accessible records has provided production information and potential plot clues for one of the studio’s first Phase 7 films.

    As of March 24th, Marvel Studios had registered Fragment Productions LLC. for motion picture production activities in the UK. While that information still hasn’t hit the web, it led to some serious speculative tweets by yours truly. However, a recent update to the SAG-AFTRA website, located by one of MM’s Discord mods, has clarified the nature of the project.

    According to the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Production Listing database, Marvel Studios will be producing Black Panther 3 under Fragment Productions LLC.

    Despite some concerns that writer/director Ryan Coogler might not move forward with the threequl, the project has been in development for some time. And while rumors have the studio recasting Damson Idris in the role of T’Challa, neither Google nor the studio has confirmed any details about the project, though Denzel Washington has revealed he believes he will be attached to the film.

    While Washington‘s role has not been revealed, rumors have claimed that he would be playing the devious and disruptive villain Achebe. While it’s unclear what the status of the universe, much less Wakanda, will be following Avengers: Secret Wars, Achebe would make a fine antagonist for the nation of Wakanda.

    The name of the production company represents a shift for the studio, which had previously produced Black Panther franchise films under Kimoyo Productions and Kimoyo II Productions, respectively. And as for what direction, if any, the newly formed company’s title might indicate a story for the film…well, that’s a different process entirely. Fragment could refer to a fragment of Vibranium; it could refer to Wakanda somehow remaining as a fragment of the previous iteration of the universe post-Secret Wars; it could refer to an attempt to adapt Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda run, in which Wakanda expanded into space before eventually facing internal civil wars and political fragmentation.

    At the time of publication, Disney had not responded to inquiries about the nature of the LLC or how it may relate to Black Panther 3.

  • Ever Watchful— ‘The Batman-Part II’ Working Title Points to the Court of Owls!

    Ever Watchful— ‘The Batman-Part II’ Working Title Points to the Court of Owls!

    Matt Reeves is back in the director’s chair, and the production secrets for the most anticipated sequel in DC history are finally starting to leak. The working title for The Batman – Part II has been revealed and it may well point to the sequel being exactly what we all thought it might be.

    While a working title is often a decoy, in the world of Reeves’ Epic Crime Saga, it’s usually a roadmap. And if you know your Gotham lore, “Semper Vigilans” points directly to the one villain fans have been begging to see: The Court of Owls.

    In the comics, the Court of Owls is a centuries-old secret society of Gotham’s wealthiest families who pull the strings of the city from the shadows. Fans have heavily theorized their inclusion in the franchise since 2022.With the city still recovering from the Riddler’s flood, the power vacuum is the perfect time for an ancient elite to re-emerge.

  • New Rumor May Indicate Marvel Studios Is Setting Up an ‘All-New X-Men’ Adaptation

    New Rumor May Indicate Marvel Studios Is Setting Up an ‘All-New X-Men’ Adaptation

    The rumor mill for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially moving at light speed, and at the center of the storm is Sadie Sink. While mounting evidence suggests that she’s playing the MCU’s definitive Jean Grey, a new tidbit from the reliable scooper Cryptic4KQual has just added a massive, reality-bending layer to her debut.

    According to Cryptic, Sink’s Jean isn’t just a local mutant from Westchester—she was described to him as being “time-displaced.” If that phrase sounds familiar, it’s because it was the literal backbone of one of the most polarizing and fascinating eras in modern X-Men history.

    In 2012, writer Brian Michael Bendis launched All-New X-Men, a series that saw the original five teenage X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Iceman, and Angel) travel from the past to the present day. This teen Jean had to grapple with a world where her older self was dead, her mentor was a failure, and her future was a tragedy.

    By using the “time-displaced” description, Marvel Studios might be signaling a move away from the traditional born in the 616 origin. Instead of explaining where mutants have been for 20 years, Marvel could simply pluck them from the past–or another timeline–and drop them into the modern MCU. Even if it’s controversial, it’s potentially brilliant.

    Given the knowledge that Brand New Day deals–at least in part–with the fallout of Peter’s memory wipe, if Jean arrives as a stranger in a strange land, she and Peter–the ultimate lonely hero–share a thematic link that makes their rumored partnership much more poignant. Additionally, a time-displaced Jean allows Marvel to explore the character’s raw, untapped power and her psionic form–which Cryptic notes will look like X-Men ’97–without immediately jumping to the cosmic firebird.

    The time-displaced angle–especially in one of the final films in the Multiverse Saga–helps avoid forcing Marvel to address why the X-Men haven’t intervened on Earth-616 before. It also opens the door to the other members of the original five X-Men appearing in either a post-credit even to Brand New Day or in Avengers: Secret Wars.

  • New Report Reveals Major Plans for One Character in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    New Report Reveals Major Plans for One Character in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    If you thought Florence Pugh was just a passing torch-bearer for the Black Widow mantle, think again. According to a fresh report from industry insider DanielRPK, Yelena Belova isn’t just surviving the multiversal chaos of Avengers: Doomsday—she’s being positioned as one of the primary anchors for the grand finale, Avengers: Secret Wars.

    Pugh’s Yelena is reportedly one of the modern MCU characters who will actually drive the core of the story, which is slated to begin production later this year.

    Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 MARVEL.

    After beginning the film in the dumps, Yelena ended Thunderbolts* not as a reluctant assassin, but as the de facto leader of a new, albeit dysfunctional, team of Avengers. RPK’s report suggests that her leadership role will somehow extend into the Secret Wars.

    Interestingly, DanielRPK also noted that Pugh and David Harbour (Red Guardian) are currently scheduled for additional photography during the Avengers: Doomsday reshoot window. The insider recently shared the word that the reshoots were largely planned to be “character-dricen” scenes, intended to add emotional beats and narrative clarity to the film.

    In a post-Iron Man MCU, the franchise has struggled to find a human center. Pugh’s performance has been a consistent bright spot, blending high-stakes trauma with the kind of dry wit that fans used to associate with Tony Stark. By making her a major player in Secret Wars, Marvel is betting on her star power to help carry the franchise into whatever comes after the soft reboot.

  • From Top Gun to Star Fox — Glen Powell Confirmed as Fox McCloud in ‘Super Mario Galaxy’

    Following the poster reveal that sent the internet into a frenzy, Illumination has revealed the casting news we’ve all been waiting for: Glen Powell is the voice of Fox McCloud in the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy.

    If you’re looking for someone to play a cocky, elite pilot with a heart of gold, there is currently no one doing it better than Powell. After the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, Nintendo and Illumination have secured the exact kind of A-List energy needed to launch a potential Star Fox spinoff.

    The announcement likely positions him as one of the leads in the inevitable Super Smash Bros. event film. Powell joins an already stacked roster including Chris Pratt (Mario), Brie Larson (Rosalina), Issa Rae (Honey Queen), and Donald Glover (Yoshi).

    With the film dropping on April 1, 2026, the reveal of Powell as Fox is the final “pre-launch” marketing hammer Sony and Nintendo needed to ensure a $200M+ opening weekend.

  • Vincent D’Onofrio Blames Studios for Kingpin’s Absence from Spider-Man

    Vincent D’Onofrio Blames Studios for Kingpin’s Absence from Spider-Man

    Since returning to the role of Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye, Vincent D’Onofrio has made no bones about which MCU hero he wants the Kingpin to square off against. Whenever he’s provided the opportunity, D’Onofrio consistently makes it crystal clear that taking on Spider-Man is his “end goal” as Kingpin. And for quite some time, all parties involved seemed to be teasing such a showdown in what ultimately became Spider-Man: Brand New Day but that never materialized…and now D’Onofrio is placing blame at the feet of the studios who collaborate to produce the MCU-set Spidey films.

    …it definitely has to be Spider-Man. One day…I’m hoping. We’ll see if they ask me to do it. Kingpin lived in a world of Punisher, Daredevil and Spider-Man so that would be the one.

    -Vincent D’Onofrio

    While responding to a fan’s statement that a matchup between Kingpin and Spidey was needed “ASAP”, D’Onofrio stated in order for it to happen, Sony and Marvel would need to “get their shit together” over what he called a “complicated rights issue.”

    While Kingpin debuted in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #50, he has since become a primary Daredevil antagonist. D’Onofrio explained that because the character is technically “shared” between Marvel (Disney) and Sony, placing him in a Sony-produced Spider-Man film requires a level of legal acrobatics that hasn’t happened yet. In the past, D’Onofrio has noted that his current contract is firmly rooted in the Marvel Television side of things, so similarly to how Spider-Man won’t appear in a live-action Marvel Television series, Kingpin won’t appear in a live-action Marvel Studios film until a new deal is arranged.

  • Beyond the Grey Havens — Stephen Colbert to Co-Write LOTR Sequel ‘Shadow of the Past’ Following ‘The Late Show’ Exit

    Stephen Colbert has found his next calling. In an announcement made alongside Peter Jackson, Colbert–who is leaving The Late Show on May 21st–announced that he will join the forces of Middle-earth.

    Colbert is co-writing a brand-new, live-action film tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past. It’s being framed as a direct sequel to the original trilogy that doubles as a “lost chapter” adaptation. Colbert’s specific pitch to Peter Jackson involves adapting the six early chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring that were skipped in the 2001 film—specifically everything from “Three is Company” to “Fog on the Barrow-downs.”

    The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in The Fellowship [of the Ring] that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day. It’s basically chapters ‘Three Is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow-downs,’ and I thought, Oh wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?

    -Stephen Colbert

    The movie will be set 14 years after the death of Frodo and use that timeline as a framing device to revisit these untold stories, allowing the film to exist as both a sequel to The Return of the King and a mid-quel to the early days of the journey with the story reportedly centers on Elanor Gardner, the daughter of Samwise Gamgee. While her father and his friends Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their original adventure, Elanor discovers a “long-buried secret” that suggests the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it even truly began.

    Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.

    -Official synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past

    Colbert is writing the screenplay alongside his son, Peter McGee, and Philippa Boyens. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are on board to produce via WingNut Films, ensuring the original trilogy aesthetic remains untouched.

    While casting is still under wraps, the synopsis practically begs for the return of Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd. With the story focusing on their older selves retracing their steps, the timing for the original cast to return–now 25 years older in real life–couldn’t be more perfect.

  • James Marsden Takes His Place on Prestigious List of Marvel Studios’ Liars and Deniers

    James Marsden Takes His Place on Prestigious List of Marvel Studios’ Liars and Deniers

    Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, James Marsden spoke openly about reprising his role as Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday. He also admitted to lying about it previously to avoid “Marvel trouble.”

    In doing so, Marsden joins elite company such as Charlie Cox, Andrew Garfield and Paul Rudd, all of whom have lied, denied and otherwise dissembled about their association with Marvel Studios projects.


    Of course, the big takeaway isn’t just the return—it’s the suit. Marsden confirmed he is finally wearing the Jim Lee-inspired comic-accurate costume, moving away from the black leather era of the early 2000s. Since the suit was first leaked in 2025, fans have been excited to see it on screen and the first glimpse of it in one of the film’s short teasers delivered.

    “To put this on felt very cool,” said Marsden, who said he also felt “heroic” and “authentic”, the latter of which fans have been craving and Marvel seems intent on giving them.

  • One Billion Strong — ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Shatters Every Known Trailer Record in History

    One Billion Strong — ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Shatters Every Known Trailer Record in History

    We knew the hype was real, but the numbers coming out of Sony and Marvel are staggering. According to a fresh report from Variety, the marketing campaign for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has achieved something no other film in history has: it has crossed the 1 billion views threshold across its collective trailer materials in record time.

    The main teaser alone didn’t just break the record; it obliterated it.

    While Deadpool & Wolverine held the previous 24-hour record with 365 million views aided heavily by a Super Bowl spot, the Brand New Day trailer hit 718.6 million views in its first day. Proving the Spidey-Sense is a global phenomenon, the trailer surpassed Deadpool & Wolverine’s all-time record in just eight hours, clocking 373 million views before most of the West Coast had even finished their morning coffee.

    It has been nearly five years since the world saw Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The pent-up demand for a rebooted Peter Parker in a world that has forgotten him is clearly higher than anyone anticipated. By turning a simple trailer drop into a record-shattering global event, Sony and Marvel have sent a clear message: the MCU’s slump is officially over and 2026 will be a huge year.

    Source: Variety

  • Marvel Studios Reveals Slim 2029 Slate

    Marvel Studios Reveals Slim 2029 Slate

    In addition to confirming a pared down 2028 theatrical release slate, Marvel Studios has also unveiled the first of what is sure to be many 2029 release calendars and it is notably slim.

    Disney has tentatively scheduled a pair of Marvel Studios’ films to be released on May 4 and July 13, 2029.

    The slate represents former Disney CEO Bob Iger’s desire to reduce Marvel’s theatrical output, placing an emphasis on quality over quantity. At this point, Marvel has kept its post-Multiverse Saga slate, X-Men, Black Panther 3 and a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps are all reportedly being developed as well as a Ryan Reynolds-led X-Men team-up film and the horror ensemble, Midnight Sons.

    As it stands now, Marvel will roll out the first five films of its new saga as follows:

    • Untitled Marvel Studios May 5, 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios July 28 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios December 15, 2028
    • Untitled Marvel Studios May 4, 2029
    • Untitled Marvel Studios July 13, 2029